Advanced FVTD simulations of dielectric resonator antennas and feed structures

Abstract—This paper illustrates the application of the Finite-Volume Time-Domain (FVTD) method to the electromagnetic modeling of complex 3D antenna structures. The FVTD algorithm solves Maxwell's equations in a conformal polyhedral mesh, therefore permitting an accurate approximation of curved surfaces and a fine resolution of structural details. The flexibility of the unstructured mesh is coupled with a geometry-matched local time-stepping scheme to increase the computational efficiency. The FVTD algorithm is applied here to simulate probe-fed hemispherical dielectric resonator antennas. Emphasis of the investigation is placed on the modeling of fabrication details and their influence on the input impedance and resonance frequency of the device. Index Terms—3D FVTD method, conformal meshing, dielectric resonator antenna I